We are delighted to share our 2024 new release dahlias with you!
Breeding new dahlia varieties known as 'cultivars' is a time consuming process. Common practice is to trial new cultivars for 3 seasons before naming and releasing them to the public. During this time MANY plants are discarded along the way before we can present to you those we have selected.
This year we are making a few changes to our breeding program. Moving forward we have decided to trial our new varieties for 4 years prior to releasing, instead of the recommended 3. We have made this decision in order to increase the quality of the dahlias we are releasing. During the trial period it is quite common to see deterioration.
Dahlia genetics can be unstable and unpredictable. Some dahlias can continue well for many years while other spontaneously deteriorate. We have found some dahlias have deteriorated in the 4th year after our release to the public. When this happens it is always disappointing. Trialing new dahlias for an additional year on the farm will enable us to ensure a higher standard in our new releases.
Continuing to grow our new releases for an additional year on the farm will also mean a larger initial release. In the future we will be able to offer a larger number of tubers for sale in the first year for more people to be able to access these lovely new cultivars.
Hopefully you can understand why we are moving to a longer trial period with our new dahlias and why we have a smaller offering of new releases this year. We have some other beautiful cultivars in the pipeline and look forward to sharing those with you in future years.
Please note plant heights are approximate as they are affected by so many things within your own unique growing conditions such as soil, water, shade, wind, fertilizer, support and how often you cut the flowers. They are provided here as a guide only.
We hope you enjoy this years selection:
Florelie Duckling
A miniature decorative in shades of apricot and gold. Incredibly productive plants, we found it hard to keep up with harvesting the blooms this season. Blooms sit atop long, strong stems which are ideal for cut flowers. Not recommended for the show bench.
Classification: Miniature decorative
Plant Height: Approx 150cm
Florelie Cosmic Romance
Gorgeous deep red blooms with white tipped petals. Some blooms have a large number of petals tipped in white. Other blooms have a smaller number of white petals - sometimes like a patchwork - sprinkled throughout the bloom. Occasionally you will get a bloom which is entirely raspberry.
This one made me catch my breath from the first moment I saw it in the seedling patch and has continued to enthrall me. Petals are neatly and symmetrically arranged. Blooms are strongly attached to the stem and on a great angle for cut flowers. An eye-catching and romantic bloom. A dream to pick.
Classification: Miniature decorative
Plant Height: Approx 150cm
Florelie Circus
A miniature decorative in a surprising combination of colours. Petals are combinations of flecks and white tips with solid coloured petals sprinkled throughout. It fascinates me that both the white petals and the apricot petals display flecks, a characteristic I haven't before seen in a dahlia. A really unique bloom displaying varied characteristics to delight and amuse.
Classification: Miniature decorative
Plant Height: Approx 120cm
Both Florelie Duckling and Florelie Cosmic Romance were some of the longest blooming dahlias on the farm in 2024, continuing to bloom when many other plants had succumbed to frost.
We hope you enjoy our new release cultivars and look forward to seeing them blooming in your garden in the future.
Let us know in the comments below which one is your favourite!
Lorelie and the Florelie team